Charity Calls Out Social Media For 'Slacktivism'

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Likes And Followers Don't Mean Anything Without Action (Earned Web)
UNICEF is currently running a brilliant Facebook campaign that focuses on the inaction that is often observed in social media campaigns. It tells users that it has nothing against "likes," but that only cash donations can really help them vaccinate children. It delightfully pokes at the online media phenomenon, "Slacktivism." Michael Brito, senior vice president at Edelman, said, "So many people are open to 'like', 'share' and 'comment' for social issues and it makes sense. Things like this play on our emotions. But how many of us actually put our money where our mouths is and help change the world. Very few." Read >

Facebook And Twitter Don't Change Political Status Quo (Pew Research via Tech World)
Social media has yet to show its supposed promise as a great leveler of American democracy, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center , which found that sharp divisions in political participation among socioeconomic groups persist despite the presence of Facebook and Twitter. Although political activity on social networking sites as a whole increased dramatically between 2008 and 2012, the majority of daily political conversations still take place offline. Read >

Social Media Content Mistakes To Avoid (Business2Community)
When planning your social marketing strategy and being active on social channels, avoid these common content mistakes.

1. Not engaging with your audience
2. Only talking about yourself
3. Always posting the same kind of content
4. Posting links without text
5. Not investing in owned assets

Although social media has been around for a few years, plenty of businesses and entrepreneurs still get it wrong. Read >

Allowing Brands To ‘Buy Into Moment’ (ClickZ)
How close can a marketer get to real time? Social marketing platforms aim to help brands insert themselves into social media conversations sooner, and in more sophisticated ways. A spate of announcements promise to help advertisers react to trending topics, or even see into the future. Read >

Annoying Facebook Couples Are Actually More In Love (Cosmopolitan)
According to a new study about Facebook habits, people who report appearing in more photos with their partner and who regularly tag their partner in their status updates tend to have closer romantic relationships. Researchers say that Facebook can actually be a window into people's worlds, at least in part, to how couples interact, and maybe even feel, in real life. Read >

Social Media: Battle Of The Sexes (Internet Service Providers via Mediabistro)
Historically and statistically, social media has always skewed slightly favourably towards women. This infographic takes a closer look at how men and women are using social media. Read >